Flowers on the Wall
by Starlover88 and Moonlover13
Summary: Playing Solitaire ‘til dawn with a deck of 51 given to you by your ex-girlfriend is easier than losing the love of your life, your job, and dropping out of college....right? Troyella
1. Flowers on the Wall

**Based on the song Flowers on the Wall by The Statler Brothers (in the 60s) and later on by Eric Heatherly (in the early 00s).**

Troy pulled on a pair of shoes and sighed. He really didn't want to go outside, but he really wanted something to eat. He had absolutely nothing unless you counted the ketchup, mustard, moldy bread, and expired cake mix. Dang.

"Hello Troy dear!" Sang his neighbor, old Mrs. McGovern. He used to help her out around her apartment a lot, but then something happened. He didn't respond and kept walking. He didn't really care about much of anything anymore.

"The young Mr. Danforth keeps asking me about you since you don't answer your door!" She called after him as he picked up speed and took the stairs so she wouldn't follow him. What? She was almost ninety, it's not like she could keep up on the stairs.

He sighed in relief when saw the grocery store in sight. He hated this grocery store before everything happened. Now he could care less about pretty much everything.

Once inside the store he grabbed a basket and started throwing random things in it, not really caring what he got as long as it kept him alive. Then again, he didn't really care about that very much anymore even. What was the point? He was a single, jobless, 20 year old college drop out that hadn't left the apartment in the last two weeks. He had disconnected the phone from the wall, didn't check his email, never answered the door, let the battery die on his cell phone, and kept the curtains closed on his windows at all times.

Troy got in line to pay for his food, hoping he had enough money. Fortunately he did, and was handing it to the cashier when another person came behind him in line.

"Troy?" Asked a disbelieving voice from behind him.

He hadn't heard that voice in awhile. He quickly attempted to make his hair look better before turning around to look at the person. Did he mention that he hadn't taken a shower or looked in the mirror for about a week?

"Gabriella." He answered in an extremely hoarse voice. Apparently that's what happens when you hardly use it except to rarely sing along with a depressing love song that comes up on iTunes. She looked stunned. He probably should have checked to see what he looked like in the mirror before he left. The one person who he would want to impress he just happened to run into. Dang.

"Where have you been? Everyone has been trying to get a hold of you! How dare you not contact anyone!" She said dropping her own basket on the conveyer belt before putting her hands on her hips, she then looked more sympathetic and continued, "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Never been better." Troy said as he took his change from the now irritated cashier. "I'm just Countin' flowers on the wall that the previous owner put up that you said you really liked. That don't 

bother me at all! Playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one that you gave me, smokin' cigarettes, and watching Captain Kangaroo at two in the morning since that's the only time it comes on because it's so old and Sesame Street wasn't on." He continued in his head, most parts sarcastically.

"Troy…" She said sadly looking at him and touching his arm as he picked up his bags.

"Honestly, I got all dressed up last night and had a night on the town. You know me, I'm a party animal." He replied, and then once again continued in his head "I even got dressed up in tails! As long as I can dream, I'll always have you, and you won't be with your new _boyfriend_. I'd also have a job and classes to go to."

"Troy, talk to me." She replied putting her other hand on his arm too. It absolutely killed him.

"Gabriella, please don't give a thought to me I'm really doing fine. You can always find me here and having quite a time. I'll talk to you later. I've got a game to finish." He replied.

"You're still playing basketball?" She asked, looking extremely hopeful.

"Sure." He replied before hurrying off to go finish his 215th game of solitaire of the day. It was only 10pm, he had plenty of time to beat his record of 273 games in a day, right?

"Troy!" She said running after him, leaving her food and a very mad cashier.

"It's good to see you I must go I know I look horrible." Troy responded running away from her now and continuing on in his head "Anyway my eyes are not accustomed to this light, and my shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete."

"Troy Bolton!" He heard the love of his life yell after him as he hurried down the sidewalk. Maybe he'd try playing solitaire on his computer tonight instead. He needed a change of scenery.

**So leave the story here on an **_**extremely**_** depressing note, or continue it and make it happy? You all choose and let me know. I can't decide. Thanks for reading! Oh, and yes, I do have a thing for depressing love songs. I don't know why either. A link to the song is on my profile (or will be soon, I just put it up).  
**


	2. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling

**So honestly, this song was my favorite song for about a year. It's old enough that the only reason I have it is because I got it off Napster…for free. Both versions. The Eric Heatherly version I like the best. Who knows ho w many times I've listened to it! Then of course I haven't really listened to it in the last 6 years due to over playing it lol. I'm glad y'all liked the first chapter and wanted me to go on! Thanks! **

"Now add some EVOO to that and you've got yourself a great meal!" Said Rachael Ray adding some EVOO to her salad that she was making. Troy wasn't particularly fond of salad, but she made it look good. He vaguely wondered if she delivered and if he had ever had some extra virgin olive oil in his apartment as someone started to pound on the door.

"TROY BOLTON! I KNOW THAT YOU'RE IN THERE! OPEN UP THIS INSTANT!"

"Go away unless you brought some food and Rachael Ray with you! " He muttered as a pathetic response back.

"YOU CAN'T STAY IN THERE FOREVER!"

"Dunno, done a pretty good job so far after I remembered that the grocery store off of Coors boulevard delivered and I with drawled all the money out of my bank account." Troy responded, still muttering as he started to flip through the channels. Maybe there was a musical on one of the channels. He still had another 10 hours until Captain Kangaroo came on and Sesame Street ended a few hours ago.

"Dude, we miss you and just want to make sure you're okay!" Chad responded, not yelling anymore.

Troy turned off the TV and went into his bedroom. He laid down on the bed as he turned up some depressing love songs, blocking out Chad's persistent knocking. He knew he shouldn't be locked up in his apartment all the time, but he was progressing slightly. He had actually logged into his email account the other day….hadn't actually checked to see how many he had since he closed it right away, but that was the first time checking it in about two months.

Troy soon fell asleep staring at the ceiling. He awoke a few hours later when he heard some noise coming from his living room. He thought about grabbing something to attack whoever it was, but decided that he didn't care enough at the moment.

When he walked into his living room his jaw dropped. It was actually clean. He had hardly done anything to it since Gabriella had broken up with him. Who would break into his apartment and clean it?

"When was the last time you had a shower Troy?" None other than Gabriella Montez herself called from his kitchen.

He started walking towards the kitchen when she came out of it and looked at him questioningly.

"Well?" She asked picking up a few books and putting them away while she waited for his answer.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in barely more than a whisper due to barely using his voice and shock. "How did you get in here?"

"Simple. Mrs. McGovern gave us the key to your apartment after she found your dad and Chad trying breaking in. Did you forget that she's your landlord?" Gabriella asked as she kept cleaning. "I thought you'd know why I'm here. Everyone is extremely worried about you, especially me." She stopped and turned to look at him after she said the last part. He could tell she was being serious, he just didn't understand why she cared. She broke up with him.

Troy shook his head and turned around quickly. He went straight back to his room and locked it. He was determined not to let anyone in, especially Gabriella. She was the reason he was so depressed.

"Troy! Come out right now!" Gabriella said as she pounded on the door with her fist and tried opening the door with her other hand. Man was he stubborn.

"I'll come out when you leave." He responded sitting on his bed and staring at the door.

"I'll leave once you're willing to leave with me. I'll just sleep on the couch and get Taylor to bring me some of my stuff if I have to!" She replied frowning. It wasn't just killing him that he was like this, it was killing her too. It was making her so guilty since it was her fault. Everyone else kept telling her it wasn't her fault, she knew it wasn't, but she still couldn't convince her heart of that.

"Have fun."

"If I told you why I did it would you come out?" She asked desperately. He hadn't ever let her explain.

"No." He responded still staring at the door. He wanted to know why at one point, but now he was convinced it was because there was another guy. What else could it be? They had been dating for over _three _years.

"Stubborn idiot." Gabriella muttered, rolling her eyes before picking up her cell phone as Troy started to blast You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling by the Righteous Brothers.

"Chad? Do you know how to pick a lock?" Gabriella asked when Chad answered his phone.

Troy stared at the wall as he listened to the words of the song.

"Why did she lose that lovin' feeling? Why is it gone? What did I do?" He whispered seeing as he still couldn't talk well since he hadn't left his apartment for most of the month. He'd cry, but he ran out of tears about a month ago. He didn't even know why he wasn't trying to talk to Gabriella or accept her help. Was it just too hard to see her? Was he going insane being cooped up in this house? Should he switch to his Phantom of the Opera soundtrack? That was even more depressing than the depressing love song CD mix he had made probably. He had no idea how much time had passed when he jumped as his door swung open revealing Chad and Gabriella.

"Well little Ms. Gabriella Montez here just learned to pick a lock." Chad said staring at his best friend with concern. "Ironically enough, she learned from the person who was taught by the person who just locked her out."

Gabriella rushed into the room as Chad spoke and took the CD out of the CD player and broke it.

"Hey!" Troy said starting to get up. He'd spent a good five hours working on that mixed CD finding the most depressing love songs he could.

"No! No more depressing love songs!" She yelled furiously glaring at him. "If you're not going to act like an adult I'm going to treat you like a child." She said before throwing away the CD in the overflowing trash can next to the door and storming out.

**Ok since you guys wanted it to be longer….how much longer? Like Last Christmas long (not sure I can do that, then again that story was only suppose to be a 5 shot), or about 10ish chapters….? 5ish chapters? Is it dragging too much? I need feedback please. I don't care if it's via reviews or messages. **


	3. Cryin'

**Cryin' – Roy Orbison (and Billy Gilman more recently. I seriously suggest checking out Billy's version)**

"Go away."

"I told you I'm not leaving."

"Fine then, get off my couch."

"Make me." She said getting even more comfortable on it. How frustrating. Especially since he knew he didn't have enough energy or muscle anymore to _make_ her do so. That's what two months of doing nothing did to you.

"Do you know who Roy Orbison is?" Troy asked as he continued his game of solitaire on the coffee table. Yup, he was back to the deck of fifty one.

"He's the guy who sang Pretty Woman right?" She replied as she sat on his couch with her feet up and reading a text book. He guessed she was taking online classes this semester. He wouldn't know. He hadn't talked to her since mid January. Well, minus today and that time he ran into her at the grocery store about a month ago.

"He also sang a song called Cryin' that talks about how it is killing him to see an ex that stopped to talk to him." He replied as if he was talking about the weather.

"Troy…" Gabriella interrupted in a warning tone.

"And I don't know, something is currently reminding me of it. Can't seem to put my finger on what though…" Troy continued very sarcastically. "Billy Gilman did a nice remake of it too. I suggest you check that one out."

"You know, every time I start to tell you why I – "

"What did you do with the other card? I'm missing one." Troy interrupted.

"Like I was saying, every time I start to tell you why I broke up –" Gabriella attempted to continue irately.

"Seriously, I need that other card."

"You always interrupt." Gabriella finished. "Why do you want just the one card? You've been playing with a deck that only has 51 cards. It's impossible to win at solitaire with only 51 cards. You haven't won the stupid game in months."

"It was one of my favorite cards. I had a dream about the queen of hearts and ever since then she's been my favorite. Oh and yes I have won. I graduated to playing it on the computer before you broke into my apartment, cleaned it, and decided you lived here. Now I'm going backwards, back to playing with the deck of cards that my ex girlfriend gave me a year before she broke up with me. Who doesn't love a deck of cards that has a picture of the Grand Ole Opry on them?" He responded, not sarcastic at all.

"Just let me explain." She responded in barely more than a whisper.

He didn't respond, but got up instead as someone knocked at the door saying "Delivery!"

"Hello Mr. Bolton. I got everything you wanted, even that combination lock." Replied a lanky teen with groceries in his arms. Troy motioned for him to be quiet, but it was too late.

"You wanted WHAT?" Screeched Gabriella, dropping her book and getting up quickly.

"Apparently I didn't think this completely through." Troy muttered as Gabriella grabbed the bags of groceries away from the delivery boy. She dropped them on the floor rummaging through them quickly until she found the lock.

"You planned on locking me out with a combo lock?" She asked in a deadly whisper.

"Can't pick them open." He muttered in reply, angry with himself. He should've told the kid not to say anything about it.

"How were you planning on using it on the door?" She asked suddenly smirking. "Is there a place to put this on the back of your bedroom door or front door I didn't know about?"

Troy cursed. Man. Staying in this apartment was making him stupid or something. Maybe if he left with her just once she would go away? Probably not, but it was probably worth a try.

"Um, I'll just be going if you want to pay me..." Interrupted the delivery boy anxiously. Troy didn't blame the boy, he didn't want to be here either. Or anywhere for that matter.

"Here," Said Gabriella as she pulled a wad of cash out from the back pocket of her jeans. "Keep the change."

"Wow, thanks!" The boy replied, looking like Christmas had come early. She slammed the door shut. Troy didn't like the look on her face. Well that was a lie; he loved her face, and everything about her. Apparently he always would, unfortunately for him.

"Troy you need to listen to me. I had what I thought was a good reason at the time to break up with you." Gabriella said quietly as he started at her. He still didn't want to hear it.

"That's nice." He responded before storming into his bedroom and locking the door. She rolled her eyes and got out her bobby pin.

"Go away." Came the muffled reply from a face down Troy lying on his bed about a minute later as he heard the door open. Maybe he could use a chair to keep the door closed? Too bad he didn't have a chair that would work for that.

"Why won't you listen to me Troy? All I want to do is explain and apologize." Gabriella said in a depressed tone as she sat down next to him on the bed.

"No apology will get me over what you did Gabriella. We both promised we'd never break up with one another." Troy said sitting up and moving to the opposite corner of the bed that Gabriella was sitting on.

She sighed as tears started to leak out of her eyes. Troy wanted to go hug her and wipe the tears away so bad, but he knew he couldn't. She wasn't his anymore.

"You haven't been the only one that's been suffering Troy. Everyone's been suffering because of this." Gabriella replied still crying, before she walked out of his room and slammed the door shut behind her.

**I actually just wrote the next chapter in under thirty minutes. I'm surprised, I hardly ever write **_**anything**_** that fast. So in other words, what I'm trying to say is that I plan on updating soon. My goal is to finish this story by mid May so I won't have to abandon it for two weeks while I'm in New Mexico and Texas. Then again, it also depends on how long y'all want it. Does anyone have a preference? **

**Also, I was just watching the music video Reba did for The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia. That could be a fun one shot to write and get people upset with HSM characters killing each other and such. Anyone want to see that as a one shot? Seriously, if you don't know the song please go listen to it even if you don't care at all about me writing a one shot. It's so good! **


	4. Walk Like a Man

**No I don't own Walk Like a Man. El Pintos, Frankie Valli, or the Four Seasons. Man, I wish I did though. If you're ever in Albuquerque go to El Pintos. Best Mexican food place I've ever been too, which is saying a lot since I practically live off of Mexican food when my family travels. Seriously, best salsa.**

**Walk Like a Man – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons**

Troy rolled his eyes as he turned back towards the bathroom door. It was still shut. Gabriella had locked herself in there two hours, thirty nine minutes, and thirteen seconds previous. So she could keep her promise about not leaving the apartment until he left with her, but couldn't keep the promise of not ever breaking up with him? How does that work?

He sprawled himself out over the couch as he waited for her. He had to admit it was nice to have someone else to share the misery with. He felt his arm start to fall off the couch, but didn't try to stop it. Maybe if he fell off the couch she'd come out?

His arm hit the floor, or what he thought would be floor. It ended up hitting something much harder than carpet. He sat up and looked down at the ground to find her textbook that Taylor had brought over.

"_Introduction to Economics_" He muttered as he read the title of the book. Didn't sound that interesting, but seriously...he had already read every book in his apartment four times in the last two months. Why not read about economics?

A neatly folded piece of paper fell out when he opened the book. He reached down to pick it up off the floor when a hand snatched it away from him. Before it was, he saw the word 'Spain.'

"What are you doing!?" Gabriella asked in what sounded like a voice a little kid would use if they were about to be caught doing something wrong.

"Reading." He responded, extremely confused by her reaction. She was holding the paper behind her back. Wait – how didn't he hear her come out of the bathroom? Was he losing his hearing now too? Great, just what he needed, something else to add to his already completely trashed life.

"Don't you know it's not polite to go through other people's stuff?" She asked, still rather panicky.

"Funnily enough I did. Then again, I'm only the one who's ex girlfriend broke into his apartment, cleaned it, and decided that she was moving in until he decided to leave for the first time in 32 days." Troy responded, very, very, very sarcastically.

She huffed at him, grabbed her book, and marched into the kitchen with it.

"Do you want something to eat?" She called as if nothing had happened.

"No." He called back. That was a lie though. He was starving.

"Good, I'll make you some parmesan chicken then. Doesn't that sound good?" She replied.

"What if I told you that I went vegetarian?" He called back walking into the bathroom, not really noticing it as he went in.

"Then I'd hit you on the head for lying." She called back as he stopped in his tracks. His bathroom was covered in paper. The only spots not covered were the ceiling, sink, and toilet.

"What did you do to my bathroom!?" He yelled furiously as he ripped a paper from the wall.

"Just read it." She replied, then added as an afterthought, "I promise I'll help you repaint if the tape took the paint off."

_Troy, _

_I was offered a _

That was as far as he got reading the paper. He knew it was the explanation again. Apparently she wrote it down a few million times in hopes that he would actually read it if it was around so much. He started ripping them all down and throwing them in the trash can as she came walking in.

"Troy where's your – Hey!" She said indignantly, grabbing his arms as he was ripping one paper.

"I don't want to know! I don't want to know about your new boyfriend! I don't want to know why! I know I did something wrong or it is because of some other guy!" Troy said frustrated, as he tried to get her off him so he could finish tearing up everything.

"Troy! You're completely wrong! It wasn't your-"

"I don't want to know!" He replied covering his eyes as she shoved one of the papers in his face.

"You're so obstinate!" She yelled back ripping a piece off the wall and shoving it in his face again.

"So what? I think I have a good reason to! The love of my life broke up with me! Now she's trying to get me out of the house. Why? Who knows! Probably to knock me back down again!" Troy yelled. He knew perfectly well that Gabriella wasn't like that, but then again she was the one who broke up with him.

"I thought I was doing what was best! I still love you too!" She screamed back. "I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but you know who Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are right?"

"Yes." Troy responded, really confused as to how the conversation suddenly turned to a 60s pop band.

"Well do you know the song Walk Like a Man?" She asked putting her hands on her hips. She wasn't yelling at him anymore, but she was furious. This was just ridiculous. "You should really think about the words."

Once again, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. Troy sat down on the floor and muttered to himself, "But my own father said 'Give her up, don't bother. The world isn't comin' to an end' Walk like a man, talk like a man. Walk like a man my son. No woman's worth crawlin' on the earth."

_Troy was excited. He hadn't seen Gabriella in almost a week and today they were having dinner. What could be better than that? He definitely couldn't think of anything. _

_He called and made a reservation at El Pintos, their favorite Mexican food place, during his lunch break. He was working all day today. He only worked two full days a week as a security guard at one of the malls in Albuquerque. It wasn't that great of a job, but he actually liked it. It wasn't a bad paying job, and he got to pick his own hours the majority of the time. _

_Troy sighed in relief as he noticed it was time for him to go. _

"_You're really ready for the big date tonight, huh?" Asked his partner Gladys. She and her husband had gone on a double date a few times with him and Gabriella. It went well, it was just didn't seem like a double date since Gladys and her husband Curtis were in their forties. _

"_Very. I can't wait. It feels like I haven't seen her in months." Troy replied as he and Gladys started to walk back towards the locker rooms. _

"_Well I hope you two have fun." She replied. _

"_Thanks, I'm sure we will." Troy said as he grabbed his bag out of his locker and left quickly. _

**So I'm seriously wondering how long I can go without Troy and you readers not knowing why Gabriella broke up with him. So far 6 chapters. I'm writing the 7th at the moment. I actually wrote three chapters today. This story for some reason is insanely easy to write. I'm rather confused as to why since I've never been able to write something so easily. Not even Last Christmas. Well anywho, thanks for reading! **


	5. Wake Up Call

**Wake Up Call – Maroon 5**

"Why did I say that? I'm so stupid. I'm giving him the wrong idea." Gabriella muttered to herself as she sat down on the kitchen counter.

Yes, she still loved him. No she didn't ever want to break up with him. She just did what she thought was best for everyone. She didn't think they would last under the new circumstances. Most couples wouldn't. It had just been obvious to her at the time, though not to anyone that knew her and Troy.

Her friends thankfully hadn't picked sides after they heard her side of the story. Troy had told Chad, then promptly quit talking to anyone. They said it wasn't her fault, but she knew deep down they thought it was. She thought it was too, so that wasn't exactly helping her.

To say that she thought Troy had taken it horribly was an understatement. She was half way convinced that if he didn't know what she would do if she heard he had tried committing suicide, he would have. She honestly had issues believing that the same man she had seen at the grocery store a month ago was _her_ Troy. He just fell completely apart after she broke up with him. _Completely_ apart.

In a way she was glad that he had actually heard her out when she had said to walk like a man, but seriously. She probably just gave him the idea that she wasn't worth his time, which is the opposite of what she wanted to do. She wanted him back so much it wasn't even funny. If nothing else, she wanted to help him get back to being Troy Bolton, not this hermit that didn't leave the house and was self destructing.

"You're right." A voice came from the door to the kitchen, making her jump.

"Wh-what?" She asked wiping away her tears.

"I'm acting like an idiot and I need to stop it." Troy said confidently, but still looking lost.

She smiled a bit. There was the Troy she knew making a comeback. Hopefully…. He was actually looking rather stressed.

"You don't know where to start do you?" She asked. She thought she knew him better than himself sometimes.

"No. No I don't." He replied looking defeated.

"How about we start small. Just do some of your laundry in the laundry room down stairs, then tomorrow we do something more?" She asked smiling feeling happy and depressed at the same time.

Troy smiled for the first time in two months.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked an hour later as they stood in the apartment's laundry room. She had made Troy take a shower before they went.

"Putting the soap in the washing machine."

"I can see that, but why are you putting in where the fabric softener is suppose to go?"

"Oh…. Oops."

Gabriella laughed at him as he attempted to fix it, ending up getting the soap all over his hands.

"Don't mock me. I'm in recovery." He said laughing softly too. It felt extremely strange to him, practically foreign.

"Sorry." She replied attempting to muffle her giggles.

"Shouldn't you be home now? We don't want a whole Maroon 5 situation on our hands." Troy said as he put the laundry detergent in the right place this time.

"Maroon 5 situation?" She asked confused.

"You know the song Wake Up Call? The boyfriend keeps finding his girlfriend with another guy and he ends up shooting him. I don't really want your new boyfriend coming over and shooting me." Troy said faking a laugh. It wasn't funny in any way you looked at it he realized a little too late.

"I don't have a boyfriend. I wasn't cheating, nor will I ever cheat." She responded confidently, but softly.

It was rather awkward after that. Gabriella decided after ten minutes of it as they just sat on a bench watching the laundry go around in circles through the door, it was time to fix it.

"How many depressing love songs did you actually find?"

"About 400 good ones. Good chance I have most of them memorized." He replied as he continued to stare at his clothes going round, and round, and round, and round….

"No more depressing love songs until you are back in school, deal? " She asked holding her hand out.

He turned to look at her. She looked beautiful. He stuck his hand out too and shook hers. He felt better just by her touch. He never wanted to let go.

"Deal." He responded softly looking her straight in the eyes.

"_My lady," Troy said as he pulled out Gabriella's chair for her. She giggled softly. _

"_Well aren't you just the gentleman tonight?" She replied getting more and more nervous. _

"_I haven't seen my beautiful girlfriend in a week and I missed her terribly. I believe that's enough of a reason to be acting like this." He replied smiling as he sat down across from her. "Is something wrong?" He asked, noticing she looked a little bit upset. _

"_What? Yeah, everything is fine." She replied distractedly looking at her menu. _

"_You're lying." Troy replied as they were brought chips and salsa. _

"_Good evening! What can I get to drink for you two?" Asked the waitress smiling. _

"_Two ice teas please." Gabriella replied for both of them. _

"_I'll get those out right away for you." She replied writing it down while she walked away. _

"_You're lying." Troy said again as he took a chip and spooned out some salsa on it. _

"_I need to tell you something, and I just really don't want to." She replied looking down at her silverware. _

**So there's the fifth chapter. Woo! Troy's finally starting to recover! So I hate saying this and all, but I have just as many reviews as people that have the story on alert. I love that so much, but I'd really like some feedback from more than three people, please. I'm totally good with you telling me you hate it or even telling me that it isn't worth listening to music if the singers aren't hot. Not that I've ever been in that situation (insert rolling of eyes here). **


	6. Getcha Back

**You all should be proud of me. I didn't bring up the Beach Boys for a **_**whole**_** 6 chapters ha ha. **

**Getcha Back – The Beach Boys**

"Hi Mo-"

"Oh my goodness Troy! I'm so glad that Gabriella finally knocked some sense into you!" His mother said as she hugged him tightly, not even moving from the doorway to let her husband in.

"Air!" He squeaked out as she had squeezed the majority of it out of him. He didn't realize his mom was this strong.

"Uh, Lucille?" Jack said attempting to pry his wife off their son.

"We've been so worried about you!" She said letting go of him and stepping back to get a good look. "You're incredibly skinny and you need sun. When was the last time you left the house?"

"We did laundry last night, but at the moment we're working at it slowly, but surely." Responded Gabriella. He looked back at her thankfully. She responded with a smile.

"So what all are you doing today then?" Asked Jack as they finally walked in to Troy's apartment.

"Have you two over and we haven't decided what else yet." She responded as they all sat down.

"Would you like something to drink?" Troy asked getting up. Sad but true, it was strange to be around so many people. It felt awkward. He felt the need to leave the room. It was also greatly annoying to him since they were the three people he loved the most in the world.

"There's only water, so I hope that's what you want." Gabriella said as she got up too.

"Sounds good." Replied Lucille, beaming at her son.

"I'll take some." Jack said smiling slightly.

"So freaking out yet?" Gabriella asked knowingly once they were safely in the kitchen.

"Yes," He responded getting two glasses out of the cupboard. "I didn't realize how much I had screwed myself over until I have issues staying in the same room with the three people in the world that mean the most to me."

Gabriella sighed as she watched him fill the cups. "Will you let me explain yet?"

"No. Just give me some time to become normal again, then yes. I will let you." He responded handing her a glass and walking out of the kitchen. Maybe there was hope for both of them yet?

After talking to Gabriella in the kitchen Troy seemed not to have many more problems. He didn't talk as much as he use to, but he still was getting much better, especially considering they had started his recovery less than twenty four hours previous.

The a few mornings later Gabriella smiled as she brushed her hair in the bathroom as she remembered the night his parents came over and Troy had gotten upset when she had started to get ready for bed. He insisted she sleep in his bed and that he would sleep on the couch. She refused, and half an hour later they finally agreed that they would switch every other night. She was so glad that things between the two of them were getting back to normal. It was rather slowly, but he was doing well.

They still hadn't talked anymore about their break up since their talk in the kitchen, but either way. She was just glad he was getting back to being Troy. She had been even nice enough to finish taking down all of the paper in the bathroom.

"Gabrieelllaaa! Hurry up!" Troy called softly knocking on the door.

"Hold your horses!" She called back laughing slightly.

"You've been in there for almost an hour! I need to take a shower!" He whined back.

"All we're doing is going to walk around the block!" She replied. Yup, Troy was leaving the house for the first time in five weeks.

"Then why did you take a shower?" He asked. Gah, she knew he had a smug look on his face at the moment. She opened the door suddenly, making him loose his balance and almost falling on top of her. He barely caught himself at the last second on the door frame.

"Girls always have to look nice even if they're working out. Haven't you learned anything being around Sharpay for years?" She asked smirking.

"Sharpay doesn't work out. She tans and plays golf. That doesn't require much work when you get other people to carry your bags and you have your own golf cart." Troy replied rolling his eyes, pushing Gabriella out of the bathroom, and then slamming the door shut.

"Hey!" She yelled in indignation. "I wasn't done!"

"Well I haven't started!" He replied back as he turned on the water.

She rolled her eyes as she went into his bedroom to search for a pair of socks. She couldn't find any with her things and realized that she hadn't needed any since she came except for the ones she had been wearing the day she came. She didn't really feel like calling Taylor or wearing her dirty ones.

"Figures." She said as she went to Troy's dresser and started to look through his socks in a vain attempt at finding some that would fit her. She was getting towards the bottom when her hand hit something hard and velvety. She picked it up the small jewelry box, hoping that she wasn't about to find what she thought she was.

Her jaw dropped as she opened it. It was exactly what she had feared it would be.

"I've got to getcha back." She whispered closing the box that held the beautiful diamond ring and burying it in the sock drawer once again before finding her dirty socks.

"_What's wrong?" He asked with concern. Since when did they not want to tell one another something? Why was she so nervous? _

"_I – I think we should break up." She replied softly looking up from her silverware. It wasn't April, so it couldn't be a joke. She was actually serious? _

"_You're serious?" Troy asked hesitantly already knowing the answer. _

"_Troy, it's not what you think…" She said trailing off, looking confused as to what she should say next. _

"_No." He replied. This couldn't be happening. Everyone knew they were meant to be together. _

"_Just let me explain!" She said desperately as he got up, leaving the keys to his car on the table for her to drive herself home. _

"_Dang it!" She said as she searched her purse for money and not finding any. She'd have to use her credit card, which by the time she finished doing that he'd be long gone. _

**Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it! I actually just finished writing the story. I'm rather proud of myself lol. **

**To ****Rhiza – Woo! Someone that's been to El Pintos! Isn't great? I love soapillas (I believe I totally butchered the spelling of that)! I'm currently trying to talk my parents into going there in May when we're going through Albuquerque. Thanks for the review! **


	7. One Fine Day

**One Fine Day – The Chiffons**

"You ready?" Troy asked walking out of the bathroom, making Gabriella jump a foot in the air.

"Yeah, of course." She responded smiling in what Troy could tell was a fake smile.

"Something wrong?" He asked concerned, looking at her closely. She seemed really distressed.

"Let's go!" She responded, starting to walk towards the door. Troy grabbed her arm gently.

"You want some shoes to go with those socks?" He asked. He would've smiled, but he was really worried.

"Okay." She responded walking back into his room. He sat down on the couch to wait for her. Her economics book was sitting next to him. He really was curious as to what that paper said, but didn't want to get her mad at him. He was really enjoying having her here even if they weren't a couple.

"Ok, I believe I'm good now." She said walking out of the room, seemingly better. He knew better though.

"_One fine day I had always thought he would ask me, and the time he was I screwed it up by breaking up with him."_ Gabriella thought as they walked. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to even notice how Troy was reacting to being outside for the first time in five long weeks.

"_Not to mention that I said the only way I would be leaving the apartment would be with him. I now have no legitimate reason to stay that won't make me sound desperate….or do I want to sound desperate?" _ She thought as they turned the corner of the street.

"_Since when was the sun so freakin' bright?"_ Troy thought as he looked down at his shoes. It disturbed him how strange the feeling to get out of the building was. It was almost like learning how to walk again. He had at least gotten use to being around more than one person. The whole gang had come over the day before and he didn't have a mental breakdown. That's got to count for something.

He looked over at Gabriella who was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt with one hand and with the other the hem of her shorts.

"What's wrong?" He asked touching her arm lightly. He realized once he did it that he probably shouldn't have.

"What?" She asked looking up startled.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She replied, going back to staring at the ground.

"Liar. Tell me."

"It's nothing."

He stopped walking. It took her a good ten seconds to figure out that he had before she stopped too and looked back at him.

"Tell me." He said, not moving.

"Troy…." She said getting irritated and putting her hands on her hips.

"If you don't tell me I won't move." He said smiling, in return making her smile slightly.

"Good, you could use some sun Casper." She responded as she started to walk again. She giggled as she heard him run to catch up with her.

"Seriously Gabi, it's got to be something big. What's wrong?"

She felt her heartbeat start to race as he heard her call her Gabi. He hadn't done that in months. She didn't realize how much she missed it.

"You promise not to get mad at me?" She asked, looking up at him rather scared.

"How could I ever stay mad at you?" He asked concerned. It was true, he wasn't really mad at her anymore. Apparently he was horrible at staying mad with her. Not to mention she had been successfully helping him get over heartbreak that she caused. Who does that?

"You're not mad at me anymore?" She asked astonished, everything previously bothering her, vanishing from her mind.

"I – I –I love you too much to stay mad." He replied looking at his feet. He was also looking at his legs and realized that she was incredibly right about the Casper bit. Apparently pale is the new tan in Troy Bolton's world. He really wanted to look up, but was afraid as to what her reaction was going to be.

"Troy, I never meant to hurt you." She whispered back. He took a chance and looked up. Before he knew it there were lip attached to his.

"Who's night is it for the bed?" Gabriella called from the bedroom as she changed her clothes and he sat in the living room flipping through the channels.

"Yours I believe." He responded dully. Nothing good was on tv.

"Liar." She replied.

"Why did you ask if you knew the answer then?" He replied turning off the tv. He had no idea what was going on between the two of them since she kissed him on the walk. She hadn't left yet, that had to account for something. Then again she hadn't said anything about the kiss and neither had he. Was he ready for the explanation for the break up? Not quite.

"I was curious as to what you would say. My guess was right." She said walking out in her pjs.

"Ump" He said as she sat down on the arm of the chair he was sitting on and leaned against him.

"Are you ready to hear me out yet?" She asked as they both stared at the blank screen of the tv.

"Not quite."

"Okay." She responded, still staring straight ahead. She waited a few minutes before talking again as they continued to stare at the tv for some unknown reason to both of them. "Can we ever be together again?"

"Do you want to be?" He replied in a whisper.

"You have no idea how much." She replied turning to look at him and watching as a smile appeared on his face.

"I'm not quite ready for that again yet either, but I'll let you know when." He replied before getting up and pushing her towards the bedroom. She laughed as he closed the door to the room, leaving her alone in his room, and he went back and laid down on the couch. It felt good to be happy.

**So has anyone heard of the Wigwam motel in Holbrook, Arizona? No? Well, you remember the cone motel in Cars? The cone motel was based on that. I'm really excited…I get to stay in it in about a month from now :D Sorry… I'm really excited! Thanks for reading!**

**By the way... does anyone want a sequel? Because I only have two more chapters and if someone does want a sequel or for it to be longer, I'll do that. Otherwise, there won't be one.  
**


	8. Goin' Out of My Head

**Big thanks to Lil-Evans for helping me with the Spain information! I really appreciate it!**

**Goin' Out of My Head - Little Anthony and the Imperials (some of the lyrics fit, the title does for sure lol)**

Troy groaned in annoyance. Gabriella was sound asleep and he couldn't sleep if his life depended on it. There was also nothing whatsoever on TV. He glanced at the coffee table next to him and spotted Gabriella's text books. The economics one stood there on top taunting him. He was stronger than that though….right?

Ten minutes later he found himself with the book in his hands. He was surprised he had lasted ten minutes to be honest. He slowly opened the book, waiting for the paper to fall out. Nothing did. Dang.

He looked through the book for a minute before remembering something. He turned to the last page and back cover. He smiled as he found a handmade pocket there. He hesitated again.

"I really shouldn't look…" He whispered to himself. He couldn't help it though. He took one of the two of the neatly folded pieces of paper out of the pocket and opened it.

_Dear Ms. Montez, _

_We are happy to announce that you have been accepted to_ the _internationally known Universidad de Navarra . We are glad that you are to come join us here at Universidad de Navarra , hope that you will have a wonderful time here, and enjoy a great cultural experience. We are looking forward to your arrival on January 25. _

He quit reading. He and Gabriella's date had been on January 20th. It all made sense now. He felt incredibly guilty now for reading the letter even if he hadn't finished it. She had talked more than once about the Universidad de Navarra. She kept saying how it was one of the best medical schools in the world and she would love to go there. He put the letter back and closed the book. He vaguely wondered what the other letter said.

Five minutes later he found himself opened to the back cover of the book again with the other piece of paper in his hands. This time it was a printed out email to her from the school.

_Dear Ms. Montez, _

_We are sorry, but you cannot reschedule your stay _at Universidad de Navarra_ . It is now or never. Please contact us within the next twenty four hours if you have decided to not attend. _

Troy gasped and dropped the paper. She had given up Spain and Universidad de Navarra, one of the most prestigious medical schools to stay here and make sure he was okay.

Gabriella woke up suddenly as she felt the bed move.

"Troy?" She asked groggily opening her eyes to look at the clock. 3:17. Why was he waking her up at 3 in the morning?

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked lying down next to her as she turned over to face him.

"Tell you what?" She asked really confused. Who wouldn't be at 3 in the morning?

"Why didn't you tell me about Universidad de Navarra and Spain?" He asked softly as he pushed a strand of her hair that had been covering her face behind her ear.

Gabriella sighed and closed her eyes. "You found the letters I take it." She responded in a whisper.

"Yes. I'm sorry but I couldn't get to sleep, you were asleep, nothing was on TV, and curiosity got the better of me. Why didn't you tell me though? We could have made it work. Heck, I would've gone with you if you wanted me to. You know that." He responded taking her hand.

"I didn't want you to give up your dreams for me and I was afraid that if I didn't break up with you that I would have been holding you back from great things. I also very obviously didn't think it though until I had already done it." She responded as she started to cry. "I'm so, so, so sorry Troy! I can't believe I was stupid enough to do that! I should have never broken up with you. You've just been too good to me and for some reason I thought I was doing a good thing for you! It's all my fault! Everything is all my fault!"

Troy moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her as she continued to cry.

"Gabi, I'm not mad at you. I understand most of it. I probably would have done something stupid like that too. I just wish you would have told me." He responded a few minutes later after her sobbing had subsided a bit. It felt so nice to have her back in his arms, but of course he felt rather guilty for thinking that considering she was crying her eyes out.

She hiccupped before moving her head out a bit so she could talk clearly. "Troy?"

"Yes?" He asked looking down to see her face. He moved her slightly so she was on top of him.

"I have to admit I saw something that you had that I shouldn't have of yours too." She said, not quite looking him in the eyes.

He furrowed his brow. What could she have seen? "What?" He questioned, rather confused. He couldn't think of anything. She already had known about practically everything he owned.

"Yesterday I realized while you were in the shower that I didn't have any socks…..so I got in your sock drawer to look on the off chance that you actually had some that might fit me." She responded putting her head down on his chest so she didn't have to look at him.

He would have sworn that his heart stopped beating. She had found the ring. The ring he had planned on giving her January 20th. His arms circled her waist and pulled her up so her face was closer to his as his mind was whirling.

"Gabriella?" He asked and she very reluctantly looked back up at him. She was extremely afraid as to what his response was going to be. She couldn't tell what he was thinking by the look in his eyes. She 

didn't think she had ever seen that look and normally she could tell you what he was thinking by just looking at him.

"Will you?" He asked with a straight face, hoping that he was not making a huge mistake.

"Will I what?" She asked completely confused as to what he was talking about. He smiled slightly noticing the look on her face.

"Marry me?"

**Oooh now don't you all just want to kill me now? What would you do if I waited a week to post the next chapter? Well I possibly thought of a sequel idea, but it's a long shot. There's hardly anything to the plot of it, so I'm still up for suggestions (please!!). Thanks for reading! I plan on having a new story up in the next few days, The Night the Lights Went Out In New Mexico. Yup, I decided to do a fic for the song. I've been in a huge writing mood lately, it's weird. **


	9. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat

**Can't You Hear My Heartbeat – The Herman's Hermits**

**I didn't realize just **_**how **_**well this song went with this chapter.**

* * *

"A-A-Are you serious?" Gabriella asked astonished. She couldn't tell honestly. She could see how he wouldn't be and then how he wouldn't be.

"I already have the ring and the girl. Why wouldn't I be? You gave up going to Spain for at least a year of school to make sure I was okay, right? I'm going to ignore the fact that you were the reason I lost two months of my life if it results in you becoming my wife. That would make it more than worth it. I would do it over again twenty times if I had to." He responded sincerely, hugging her even tighter to himself.

Gabriella's jaw was on Troy's chest by the end of his speech. He was serious. She had completely screwed up his life for two months and he was asking her to marry him. How did that work? She really wanted to know. She could feel his heart beating faster and faster as the seconds went by and she hadn't said anything.

"Would it be more believable if I got the ring out? I would have already gotten it out, but I haven't been this close to you in a very long time so I didn't particularity want to get up." He said nervously. Was she going to snap out of it and respond?

"No I believe you." She responded breathlessly finally getting her voice back staring at him with amazement plainly written all over her face. "Are you sure you want to be asking me this and yes, that's why I didn't go."

He smiled and kissed her passionately.

"Yes." She said tearfully after they broke apart for air. He kissed her again.

"Do you want the ring now or after we're done making out?" He asked smiling widely. He didn't think he had ever felt this happy before in his whole life.

"I think I can wait. I have to admit though, I didn't look at it closely before." She said before kissing him.

* * *

"It's gorgeous!" Sharpay squealed the next day at breakfast. Gabriella had insisted that she, Kelsi, Taylor, and Sharpay had to go out to breakfast before even telling them what had happened. Troy had called the guys over to the apartment.

"I'm so glad that Troy is better now!" Taylor said looking extremely relieved. "Chad was so worried it wasn't even funny, not to mention the rest of us!"

"Me too. He went and asked for his job back this morning and registered for classes for the summer semester." Gabriella responded happily considering she had only gotten three hours of sleep the night before.

"That's great! Did he get the job back?" Kelsi asked excitedly.

"Yup. He even starts tomorrow." Gabriella said smiling as she looked at her ring yet again.

* * *

"I'm so glad you're back Troy." Gladys said as Troy walked around with her. He wasn't working yet, but tomorrow was his first day back.

"Me too. You have no idea." He responded smiling at her.

"So what happened?" She asked extremely curious. All of a sudden he had quit. That was all she had known.

"Gabriella broke up with me that night that I took her to dinner." He responded still smiling as he thought about the fact that he was engaged.

"She _WHAT_?" Gladys yelled as people they were passing by stared.

"Oh no, it's all okay now!" Troy responded snapping out of his thoughts of his engagement.

"What do you mean? You okay? You want some ice cream or something?" Gladys asked worriedly.

"I wasn't okay. I barely left my house since I last saw you, but about a week ago Gabriella broke into my apartment and refused to leave until I was better. Then this morning I couldn't sleep and went through her stuff and found out that she had been accepted into a great medical school in Spain. I found another letter with that one that said that she couldn't postpone and that she had to come now or never. I woke her up and ended up asking her to marry me since she had found the ring I had in my sock drawer." Troy responded smiling dreamily.

Gladys stopped walking and stared at him as he stopped and looked back at her.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked. That sounded like it was made up.

"Nope, completely true. I'm getting married soon." He responded putting his hands in the pockets of the sweatshirt he was wearing while smiling like an idiot.

* * *

"Mom!" Gabriella yelled as she walked into her house. Her mom came rushing down the stairs.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't leaving Troy's apartment until he came out!" She said looking at her daughter carefully. She seemed strangely happy.

Gabriella ran to her mom and hugged her tightly.

"You'll never believe what happened!" She responded after she released her mom from the hug and held up her left hand to show her mom the ring.

"Oh Gabi! I'm so happy for you!" Her mother said hugging her only child tightly.

"I can't believe that only twenty four hours ago I was just hoping for Troy to be willing to forgive me!" Gabriella said excitedly as she sat down to tell her mom the whole story.

**So I don't like that ending, but can't seem to make it better. If anyone has anymore ideas, please share them. Otherwise…..epilogue? Sequel? Just keep adding on to the story? I'm not planning on anything else unless someone requests/has ideas it. Plus I've been concentrating on my other stories now too. **


	10. Epilogue

"So did they get married?" Asked eight year old Terri.

"Yup. They got married a few months later between the summer semester and fall semester so they wouldn't miss any school." Responded her father smiling at her and hugging her.

"Where did they go for their honeymoon?" She asked very interested.

"They didn't end up going on a honeymoon. They decided to save their money and buy a house instead. Turns out that Troy had a lot of money saved up and between the two of them they had enough for a house, which is pretty impressive for two college students." He replied and laughed at the amazed look on his daughter's face.

"Did they have any kids? What else happened? Did they graduate college? Where are they now? What's their jobs?" Asked Terri in quick succession, amusing her father even more.

"After Troy tried for a few years, he was able to convince Universidad de Navarra that Gabriella should be able to study there for a year, so they ended up living in Spain for a year. Gabriella graduated there right before they left and Troy had graduated the year before in New Mexico." He responded amazed that his daughter was so interested in the story. Her mouth was hanging open as she listened carefully, not wanting to miss any of it.

"But did they have kids? What are they doing now?" Terri pressed on.

"Troy ended up being a business major and his landlord Mrs. McGovern ended up hiring him to work for her, handling her apartment building. When she died she left it to him since she hadn't had any children or surviving relatives. She told them more than once that she thought of them as her own kids."

"Gabriella ended up with her own medical practice along with one of her best friends. They are to this day still practicing together and even live next door to each other."

"Like mom and Taylor? Did they have kids though?" Interrupted Terri, apparently not as interested in what the two did as in their kids.

"Yes like Mom and Taylor and I'm getting there! Let me finish!" Her father said laughing again. "A year after they came home from Spain, they found out that Gabriella was pregnant. They now have three kids, a boy who is 19 and two daughters. The girls are 14 and 8."

"What are their names?" Terri asked excitedly. Maybe she could play with the girl her age! Her next door neighbor Steven Danforth was her best friend, but she could use a friend that was a girl too.

"Michael, Jenifer, and Terri." Her father answered, his eyes twinkling.

"Hey! Their kids have the same names as me Mikey, Jenny, and me!" Terri said incredulous with her mouth hanging open.

"Troy!" Gabriella called walking into the house and interrupting her husband.

"What?" He asked as he lifted Terri off his lap.

"Can you help me and Jenny with the groceries?" She asked walking toward the kitchen.

"Sure thing." He replied getting up. He was about to walk away when Terri pulled on his hand.

"You didn't finish the story!" She said pouting. What's a story without an ending?

"Sweetie, you're living the story." He replied as he picked her up and carried her out to the car so she could help too.

Gabriella laughed as she watched through the window where Terri keep asking questions as Troy handed her a loaf of bread out of the trunk of the car.

"What are you laughing at?" Jenny asked watching her mom carefully after looking out the window and not finding anything funny.

"Your dad. He loves telling that story." She replied as Troy grabbed three bags.

"Strange thing is that he's the only male I know that would confess that he acted like a complete idiot for months." Jenny replied as she put stuff in the refrigerator. "I wish that Mike wouldn't act so stupid." She said then mumbled, "Not to mention every other male on the earth."

"Ah, but then if all men confessed things like your dad we'd be living in a virtually egoless world." Gabriella replied laughing as she watched her oldest daughter roll her eyes.

"Is Mikey coming home from college this weekend? Cause if so, we didn't get enough food. I swear, it's like he was Chad's son, not dad's with the way he eats." Jenny rambled as her mother continued to watch her husband and youngest child out the window. Life was very good.

**So is that a good epilogue? I'm not really happy with how short it is, but otherwise I'm pretty happy. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story! I appreciated it! **


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